Packers: Lerentee McCray Gets Guaranteed Money, Don Barlcay Doesn’t

This time of year in the NFL, when teams sign free agents, it’s usually not a blockbuster deal. When the Green Bay Packers sign any free agent, however, like they did last week with Lerentee McCray, it makes news.

In addition to signing the former outside linebacker of the Denver Broncos, the Packers also re-signed offensive lineman Don Barclay to a one-year deal.

The signing of Barclay might have seemed odd to some followers of the team, given how poorly he played last season, but after taking a look at the details of his contract, it’s clear to see that the Packers are not making much of an investment in him.

Barclay, who along with McCray, had the details of their contracts released Thursday, are each set to make the minimum salary for a four-year player, which is $675,000. That’s no surprise. However, the two contracts were very different when it came to bonus and guaranteed money.

McCray was given a signing bonus of $50,000 and also a workout bonus of up to $,75,000. Green Bay gave Barclay a workout bonus of $25,000 and no signing bonus.

Of course, the Packers aren’t going to keep McCray simply because they gave him $125,000 in guaranteed money, but it’s definitely a sign that they think he has a good chance to making the 53-man roster this fall.

Barclay, on the other hand, got no such consideration. He played poorly last season and has never really reached the same level of play that he was at before his injury. He has something to prove and until he shows the Packers he can play at a serviceable level again, his roster spot is far from guaranteed.

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I am a Montana sports reporter who is obsessed with the Green Bay Packers. I've been blogging about the team since 2011. My work has been seen on the Bleacher Report, Fox Sports and USA Today, among other websites. Currently, a staff writer at cheeseheadtv.com